See, blogging just doesn't make the list. It's unfortunate, eh? But now, my sweet little possum is playing in her exersaucer. So mama has a moment to blog:

She is half a year old! And her personality is exploding! My little koala baby now loves about 85% of people and hates the other 15%. She is full of smiles all day long and only makes a grunt sound when she is bored and wants to do something else. She can still only go about 2 - 2.5 hours between naps. And, sadly, usually only naps for 30 minutes at a time. Resulting in 4 naps a day. Still. Sometimes she will take an hour and a half nap. And she still needs (!!!!) to be swaddled for naps and still wears her Magic Sleep Suit to bed each night.

I wonder how many times I wrote "still" in that paragraph.

Little Toot is wearing 9 month clothes now and some 12 month clothes. She is 50% for weight and 75% for height. Though my family still can't believe how teeny she is. She is so, so petite and sweet. I love her small little rolls on her arms and legs. I can't get enough!

She will laugh every.single.time. if you kiss her hands. She just thinks it's so funny. And she also loves my necklaces and has already broken one.

She is discovering her voice more each day and has recently learned to say "ba ba" and actually says bye-bye, though she has no idea what it means. We're working hard on learning dada, since her daddy would die of happiness to hear her say it!

She loves her Jumperoo, her My Pal Scout, and any little trinket toy that she can stick in her mouth. But her most beloved toy? A Munchkin spoon. I have 3 in my diaper bag for a quick entertainer while we're out & about.

We still co-sleep with no end in sight. I've contemplated putting her in her crib.. but just haven't yet. She takes her naps in her crib though. If you can count a 30-minute sleep-fest as a "nap," that is.

She thinks she's big stuff when she rides in shopping carts but still prefers the Moby above all else. I dearly love having her close to me and get pretty sad when I think of her growing up so fast.

We're right in the midst of the super duper oral fixation phase, so everything goes to her mouth. Would I sound like a bad mom if I admitted that I had to retrieve a hunk of play-doh from her mouth the other day? What? I don't know how she got play-doh. Ahem. I guess her mother should have been watching her :)

She loves to be sung to sleep. I love it too. She falls asleep for naps in 2 minutes flat when I swaddle and sing to her. And at night? We're still reading Won't You Be My Kissaroo, and she never gets tired of it. And I never get tired of acting out the book in dramatic hand motions and sounds!!

No sign of crawling anywhere in the future, though she loves to stand up while holding onto things (music table, ottoman, anything!).

She thinks Mark is hilarious, especially when he makes a "popping" noise with his mouth. I'm glad she finds her daddy so entertaining. They love "talking" to each other on the iPad.

Right now she is playing solo, chewing on her exersaucer, and saying "baaa baaaaa." I love her SO much. And, while she exhausts me to no end, I couldn't imagine a more perfect daughter. She is everything I ever dreamed of.

Shannon

I grew up in Kentucky, met my soul mate at church, married him two years later, and waved goodbye as he left to join the Air Force just two weeks into our marriage. I learned a heckuva lot about life, love, and sacrifice in our first year as husband and wife!

Being a mommy is my greatest joy in life.

Mark

Mark is serving our country in the United States Air Force as an electrician. He loves his career and loves his family even more. He surprises me daily with how awesome of a Daddy he can be. I am absolutely in love with him and SO thankful for him!

Little Toot

Our sweet girl entered our lives on October 20, 2010, and our lives have never been more full or more fun! She's timid, yet spunky and independent; cuddly yet always on the go. She loves learning new words, playing babies and kitchen, and being near her Mama. Her love for babies makes us very excited to see her become Big Sister this fall!

Piper

Piper is our 2-year-old West Highland Terrier! She's full of spunk and brings unimaginable joy to our lives. Piper can be found napping on the couch, snuggled next to me, carrying a "nip" around the house, or rough housing with her favorite raccoon toy! She takes her role as "protector" of our family very seriously and is always guarding our house!